January 2009

A few weeks ago I got a call from a company that cleans carpets. They were having a special two rooms and a hallway for $49.00. Usually I would just say, I am sorry not interested, but I had planned on having the carpets cleaned. So taking this company up on its offer was saving me a trip to the trusty yellow pages.
My daughter and I moved most of the furniture out the day before so our carpets could get a good clean. The man showed up a little late, he was a around his early twenties dressed in fatigues with a nose ring that at first I mistake for a booger. I took him upstairs and showed him the rooms and asked him about cleaning the stairs. The stairs had a runner on it for years and only the sides needed cleaning. He said it would be two dollars per stair. I kind of rolled my eyes on this one and said please just clean them.
He was upstairs for a good ten minutes and came down. He said that my carpet needed deep cleaning, because they were really dirty. Now there is a price difference but, he would not quote me a price. The method they were using was steam cleaning. He said your carpets would not be cleaned unless you deep clean them. I said, I was quoted a price for steam cleaning, are you telling me you cannot clean my carpet for that price. I explained that if he could not get my carpets clean for that special price, I don’t want his services. This guy had a very heavy accent, and I was not sure if he understood, he went over this deep cleaning stuff again with me, I said no. I thought he understood. So he brought in this big black machine, and a box of chemicals. I left him alone and he went upstairs, he called me and told me to come. he showed me a dirty spot he deep cleaned. “See, you need this” he said. NO, I DON’T WANT IT, I said my voice raising a few octave higher.
He took less than a 1/2-hour to clean the carpet. I examined the stairs and there was dirt smeared across every stair. I was shocked. Then the heat began to slowly rise from my gut, to the top of my head and I blew like old faithful, which even surprised me, and I said this is the sh@# est job I have ever seen, you call this clean? You have made a mess of my carpet, you need to clean my carpet or I will not pay you,. He said in a very smart-mouth way, I told you that you needed deep cleaning. What proceeded to happen was beyond my wildest thoughts. That little punk stared screaming me. I got on the phone & dialed his company, I talked with someone who said he was the manager, he kept putting me on hold and calling the guy at my home and they were speaking a different language and the guy in my house was yelling into the phone and using the word hoe several times, referring to me. The manager came on my line and said it would cost me $399.00 to get my carpet clean. Long story short, that guy refused to clean my carpet or leave my house without his money. I told him to get out of my house and I would settle this with his manager. He refused and kept yelling and screaming, at one point I thought he was going to shove me, I picked up my cell phone and dialed 911. He left and I locked the door, but that did not stop him from yelling & pounding at the door. All this time his manger was on the phone with me listening. He left minutes after I hung up on his manager. The Sheriff came over and took a report and called the number I had for this company. Sheriff’s message to Care Carpet was stay away do not attempted to call me, take me to collections if they want.
This is a classic case of bait and switch. The company is called Care Carpet, or Carpet Care; I looked them up and could not find any listing. The number I called was a cell phone number that has a ID -Care Carpet. Beware…

Front page of The Wall Street Journal reports that the Job Loss today is that compared to 1945. As of December 2008, 2.5 million people have lost their jobs across the U.S. That is a jaw dropping statistical analysis.

I went over to Trader Joe’s on Sunday to buy a couple of things. Trader Joe’s is always boast about their unbelievable prices and compares them to the local grocery stores. I was picking up my usual and noticed that their prices have gone up. Most items are now .29 cents more. Why?

But wait it is not just Trader Joe’s, it is other retail businesses, such as Target, Marshall, Safeway, the 99 Cent Store , (they raised their prices to 99.98 cents, I don’t get how you would calculate that one) just to name a few.

I got to wonder why; the price of gas that is down, well, it is slowly on the raise. But it stills the lowest it has been for years. Remember when retailers where raising the prices, because the cost of gas was in the high $4.00 range? When gas got down to $1.69 a gallon, the retailers prices maybe only dropped a few cents here or there for items.

So what is the excuse now? Why is it that the prices are on the raise? I can’t help but think back in history of the times in Europe when the price of food was out of control and people were stealing stuff to eat, because they could not afford to pay a wheel barrel full of money for a loaf of bread.

Retailers need to make items more affordable in these harsh economic times. If it is affordable people will buy their products. But, if they keep raising their prices, they will have fewer customers. The Dollar Tree will have more customers buying their low nutrition food, and the Pet food stores will run low on their dog and cat food, because more people will use that as a substitute.
The People of U.S. are looking to Obama to wave his magic wand fix our economy and create jobs for all the unemployed. There is hope in the air for the U.S. future. I will keep my fingers crossed that Obama and his Cabinet of people can fix these GAINT problems.

It is the New Year and my first blog of 2009. I want to be positive and upbeat.
First to begin with I have not bumble writing 2009 on my checks at all. That is a good sign. (Yeah, I still write checks instead of using my Debit card).
We started the year off by having a dinner party. I know what you are thinking; but everyone partied on New Years Eve and they were probably, well partied out. Not the group I had over. They were very happy, enthusiastic bunch. They enjoyed the healthy food and lots of laughter. That was the best New Years day ever.
The second day of the New Year my house was cleaner than usual. What a light and wonderful feeling that was.
We saw two really thought provoking movies over the weekend, Seven pounds and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Both were not your average loud, explosive, speed chasing, mentally or physically abusing others type of movies. They were more about people making a difference in other people’s lives type of movie. Which, is uplifting, heart warming and tear in you eye type.
On the fifth day of the New Year, I got a gift card to Longs Drug store for being on call for a group shopping session through Nicholas Research. (They are a consumer survey company). You can register online and they may call you to participate in survey, you can get money or gift cards, for taking part in a 2- hour session. I was never called to come to the store, but received the benefit anyway.
This year I will try and keep that upbeat feeling and hope for wonderful things to occur.
Two great things have already happened for two of my brothers. I will hope for all who read this that wonderful things will occur for you this year, 2009.
Happy 2009!